The paint and coatings industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the world. This global paint and coatings market is currently estimated to produce nearly 9 billion gallons with North America estimated at 1.5 billion gallons or 27.8 billion dollars. The challenges associated with this market include increased restrictions on volatile organic compounds (VOCs), expanding interest in green building standards, and current and future labor shortages within the trades.
Paints and other types of coatings are typically applied as liquids to a wide variety of substrates. Such coatings can be applied for a variety of reasons, for example, as protective coatings, decorative coatings, sealants, for insulation purposes, and/or to modify the surface characteristics of a substrate.
Typically, paints and coatings applied as liquids comprise four primary components: pigment; vehicle; additives; and solvent. Pigment is used to refer to coloring agents used for non-film forming components. Vehicle is used to refer to the materials used to form the film, for example, polymeric materials that can provide the protective and/or functional coating. Additives are used in coatings for one or more reasons including aiding in manufacturing, enhancing application characteristics, or improving the properties of the coating once it is applied. The solvent typically is a volatile material that functions as a dispersing medium for the pigment and the vehicle while serving as a carrier for transporting the solid materials onto the substrate. Once the coating has been applied, it is generally desirable to evaporate the solvent to establish the vehicle as a film. For many coatings, the removal of the solvent initiates the formation of the film as the solvent evaporates into the atmosphere. In some instances, when the carrier solvent is organic, it may be considered a volatile organic compound (VOC) that may be governed by certain environmental regulations.
Depending on the desired use, the solvent may cause a variety of issues that may be problematic to the application. For example, many coatings and paints are formed from a suspension or solution where organic solvents or carriers can create health and/or environmental issues during application. Upon evaporation of the solvent, the user may be exposed to carcinogenic materials. Aqueous carriers may also raise solvent issues with respect to maintaining compositional integrity during handling, storage, and application where aqueous carriers can exhibit greater sensitivity to environmental conditions such as weather, temperature, and humidity during their application.
Other issues found with the formulation and application of cement coatings to a wide variety of substrates concern variable factors such as: environmental conditions during application; drying time issues; coating thickness issues; application conditions; and logistical issues. Environmental conditions can relate to whether the coating is applied in a controlled interior environment or an exterior environment with various conditions. Coating thickness issues can relate to how thick the coating application needs to be in order to be effective for the intended result or application. Application conditions relate to the type of substrate the coating is applied to such as a vertical surface where the wet film may sag or wash off the given substrate. Drying time conditions can be strongly related to the weather where the coating is applied in a humid or dry environment. The logistical issues can concern such factors as: whether specialized personnel or equipment are needed for application; potential disruption of construction site processes during application; selecting and waiting for appropriate temperature/weather/environment conditions for application of the coating and setup; and in some instances a need for tenting the region to be coated in addition to using heaters for the tented region.
These and other issues are of concern when developing new cement containing coatings for use on particular substrates. Cement containing coatings that are affordable, readily available, easily applied, resistant to efflorescence, and/or durable are desired by consumers and must still be developed by producers.